The Back Up Plan
by AnimeAddict1059
Summary: Voldemort didn't create seven Horcruxes... no... he made eight of them. And the eighth one is none other than his daughter. Her sole mission in this world is to destroy Harry Potter, should her father fail. Now in Hogwarts, disguised as a transfer student, she meets Harry's son. What will happen when an unexpected romance blooms? Can she accomplish her mission?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

_Voldemort fell backwards, arms splayed, and terrible coughing fits issued from his lips. Harry Potter stood before him, watching with sorrow as his greatest enemy dies before him. He wanted to at least say a few more words to him, get him to realize the huge mistakes that he had done in his life. His grip on the wands in his hands became tighter as he stared at Voldemort's now crumbling body._

_He was about to step closer, when Voldemort started making strange gurgling noises. Harry was startled for a moment before Voldemort's gurgles changed into malicious laughter._

"_Why are you laughing?" Harry asked the pitiful heap on the ground that was Voldemort._

_Voldemort continued laughing maliciously. "You think you've … won…" he laughed again. "This isn't… the end… Harry… Potter…" _

_And just like that, the feared dark wizard's body crumbled into ashes and was carried away by the wind… _

_The words however, fell on deaf ears as Harry Potter had long since lost his grip on consciousness and he fell, face forward, on the ground littered with rubble and dust… _

I open my eyes and take deep gasping breaths of air. Cold sweat was running down on my skin and a rush of andrenaline surged throughout my body. I take a few more breaths to steady myself and look up at the sky. It was still dark out but faint traces of light can be seen along the horizon that indicated that sunrise was approaching.

I stood up from my bed, which was a bit messy for a lady, with pillows thrown across the floor and blankets flung and stretched in every direction, and made my way to the bathroom. There, I took a few more deep breaths and looked into the mirror.

A tall, tan and skinny fourteen-year old girl looked back at me. I frowned at my dishevelled appearance and looked through it. My long, curly, blonde hair stuck out at weird angles over my head. It was probably from my thrashing during my sleep. I stare at my eyes for a little while, looking for signs of lack of sleep. After taking a few more minutes to admire my emerald eyes which were outlined with flecks deep blue, (It was a small outline, really, but it was easily noticeable) I became satisfied that my lack of sleep wasn't exactly showing on my beautiful face.

"What was that dream about?" I ask to no one in particular. I live alone in this large manor that I got from a very rich man that I had to capture and eventually murder, after I was done with him. He was a muggle, I can tell, but somehow, he had managed to get his hands on a mountainous pile of Galleons. How he got a hold of Wizarding currency is a mystery to me, but as long as I have the money, hey, I can't complain.

But my thoughts eventually drifted back to the dream that I had. I suppose that it was another one of my father's memories, forcing their way into me. I gained some of his memories when I awakened four years ago from the spell that he had put me in. I still remember that day clearly.

I was eleven back then, and after opening my eyes for the first time in so many years, memories of my father, myself, and a voice immediately rushed into my brain. And then, there was this shadow that forced its way into my head. It hurt a lot. And it whispered a few words that I still remember up to this day.

"_This isn't… the end… Harry… Potter…"_

At first, I had no idea who that was until I stumbled upon a pathetic street that was abnormally cheerful and WAY too loud for my tastes, also known as Diagon Alley, and I saw a poster of him. My father's memories were too hazy at that time, considering that I just woke up and I was still trying to coordinate my movements and sort out my thoughts from his memories.

They said that he was the hero of the Wizarding World but I just stuck my tongue out at them. Who needs heroes when her father's plan was so perfect? I was disgusted by the wizards today, letting half-blood mutants and filthy muggle borns inside their world…

I shook my head at my thoughts and washed my face. After I dried it with a face towel, I went back to my room and sat on my bed, knees hugged to my chest and staring blankly at the green pillow in front of me. It's pointless, going back to sleep because I'm sure I'll wake up because of another memory or vision. But seeing visions are rare. Seein my father's memories, however, is pretty common, but it IS annoying. My pathetic position right now isn't exactly pretty to look at, since I know my father will disapprove of it and it makes me look weak, which by the way, I'm not. But when I think about stuff, I found out that being like this actually helps. For me anyway.

And the one thing I always find myself thinking about… is my father…

At first, I thought I was an orphan. Left to rot in the streets. I think it was about the time when I turned fourteen, meaning it's been three years since I was unfrozen, that I heard my father's voice. At first, I thought I was losing it because hearing voices is NOT a good sign. I shrugged it off like I always did until one day, my whole body suddenly froze. No matter how hard I tried moving it, it didn't seem to respond to my will or thoughts. Then that was the time when I heard his voice hissing inside my head and honestly, I would've jumped up in fright if I had control of my body back then.

"_You've become difficult to deal with, Athanasia… I thought I raised you better than that…" _hissed his snake-like voice inside my head. It totally creeped me out.

And then his words processed inside my head once I had gotten over my initial shock. He said that I was being difficult. Me? Difficult? Well, difficult to deal with when in a duel, maybe, but difficult as in teenager difficult?

"_Athanasia… I suppose you already know who I am? Why I'm inside your head…? Hm?"_

Okay. The 'Athanasia' thing has _got_ to stop. Is he calling _me_ 'Athanasia'? Hey, don't get me wrong, it's a pretty name. Especially the meaning which is 'eternal life' but I've stuck with the name Marise ever since. I don't know why… I just felt like somebody's given me that name before.

"Um… my name's Marise. Not… _Athanasia…_" I said.

The voice inside my head- wait. Inside my head? _Inside my head?!_ Oh no! What is a voice doing inside my head? Have I finally cracked after so many years of living alone and destroying the Muggle World and creating chaos and wreaking havoc on the Muggle world… and… and… and living alone?

The voice cackled. _"Marise? It doesn't matter child. Whether it be Athanasia or Marise, both mean the same thing. You are a child who will have eternal, endless life."_

"Uh… there's this thing called Mortality… I don't suppose you've heard of it?"

"_Silence!"_

Okay, that was where I had to stop. That really scared me.

"_You do not take things so lightly when you speak to me! How dare you speak to your own father that way!"_

And that's pretty much the time when my mind blanked out and I was shocked for a long time. The voice in my head… my father, I suppose… kept talking but none registered in my brain. I did catch one word though. Voldemort.

"Wait… wait! Voldemort?" I asked, interrupting him. I know I was probably gonna get it but surprisingly, he answered my question calmly.

"_Yes… Didn't you hear me, child? My name is Voldemort. And I'm your father." _

Wait… I've heard that name before during my "escapades" in the Wizarding World. "Hey… aren't you the guy who everyone says was evil?"

"_Yes… I'm the Dark Lord Voldemort."_

Okay. I've got to admit, it was cool that I know where I got my natural talent of wreaking havoc and creating chaos from, but having a dad? Nope. Wasn't prepared for that. But _father_ became an immediate part of my life after that talk. He ordered me around everyday. He told me that I should do this, destroy that, kill him, torture her, invoke fear, busy, busy, busy…

And as if I'm not busy enough. I had to go home late in the evening and just when I thought that I was finally going to have a good night's sleep, his memories replay themselves inside my head. It was very annoying! It wakes me up in the middle of the night like a nightmare. Why couldn't he keep his memories to himself? Urgh…

I force myself out of my thoughts and look up at the window. The sun was just creeping out of the horizon. Sunrise. I turned my attention back to my bed and once again found myself facing the green pillow. I scoffed and turned away from it.

If there was one thing that I hated in this house it was the color green that was forced on me because of my… _father_. I _hate_ green! My favorite color is red. Not Gryffindor red! Blood-red! I just hate green… it reminds me of the dark cave I woke up in with lots of moss and slime and greenish water…

I shuddered and closed my eyes for a bit. When I opened them, my gaze fell on my wand on the bedside table. It was custom made when I was thirteen. I got it from Knockturn Alley. My father, although I didn't know him then, told me to go there. I may not like my father, but his knowledge on wandmakers was great. It was cherry, with a red dragon hide handle with red dragon scale designs (my choice, of course), and it has a heartstring from a red Ukranian Ironbelly for its core. The wandmaker said that it was good for dark spells and curses and it could even help me with my visions.

I grabbed the wand from my bedside and twirled it around my fingers. I like the feeling of it on my finger. I channel small amounts of magic into it and I amuse myself with the circle of red sparks I had made by twirling it around.

"_I see you're awake."_

My wand slipped from my grasp and it rolled down on my bed.

"Couldn't you at least warn me whenever you decide to speak with me?" I ask my father angrily.

"_No. And you have a very important job to do."_ He hissed.

I groaned. "What? You want me to go and kill someone again? Or should I finally get a pet snake so I could at least have someone to talk to around here?"

"_Athanasia! Stop your nonsense and listen to me!"_

I immediately stopped. Whenever he used that voice, it meant that he was angry and he would take control of my body again. I hated that. He already did it before and I know he won't hesitate to do it again. He's just so annoying and unbearable and unlikable that way… Still, I have to do it. Who else can he count on?

"_Now, I want you to listen well. I trust that you have caused enough chaos that it will not go unnoticed by those idiotic Aurors at the Ministry. You also know, that Harry Potter works there. Now, from what you have gathered yesterday, the magical population is panicking. They're sending Aurors to every place they know of and I'm sure, they'll be sending Harry Potter to Hogwarts. I want you, to go there as a student and lay low. Do whatever you have to do to get to him and KILL HIM!"_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

I slammed my trunk shut. It was filled with school uniforms, normal robes, _muggle clothes_, spellbooks, and some other things that were essential for school. I made sure to show my anger for being sent to Hogwarts so that my _father_ could see it. He really did it this time. He totally pissed me off.

I had called a cab, by my father's orders (which was very surprising as he hated the muggles with passion), to take me to King's Cross Station where I would take the train to Hogwarts. I already had a ticket. I got it from… some sources down at Knockturn Alley. That's probably the best place to get items.

I scowled as I caught sight of the train station up ahead. Here I am, dressed as a stupid muggle, feigning innocence, and going to that horrid school they call Hogwarts. I paid the cab driver and placed my trunk on a nearby trolley. I pushed it in front of me as I searched for platforms nine and ten, as my father had instructed. I quickly found it. Just when I was about to go into the wall dividing the two platforms, a family of five suddenly arrived and I had to go out of their way as they passed through. My eyes narrowed, when I saw that one man in their group was wearing glasses and had a lightning shaped scar on his forehead. From the numerous posters that I saw of him, I knew, that this was Harry Potter.

Once all five of them went through, I swiftly followed them. But when I arrived on the other side, I was met by the sight of hundreds of families, waving goodbye to their children who were going off to Hogwarts. The whole platform was packed! I lost sight of the Potters.

Furious with myself, I took my trunk out of the trolley and pushed and heaved it all the way to a section on the train that was not so full of other students. I didn't know how I did it but I managed to get my heavy trunk up on the train. Then I pulled it with me throughout the entire car in search of an empty compartment. I managed to find one on the middle part of the train and I immediately shoved my trunk inside. I gratefully sank on the cushioned chairs and I let myself rest for a few minutes.

I waited for the train to start moving as I checked my watch. It was a quarter to eleven. I groaned and I desperately searched for something to entertain myself by then. Then I settled for watching the passing people outside the window. Boring. I tried twirling my wand again. Boring. Looking up at the ceiling. Boring. Staring at the seat in front of me. Boring. Muttering a few spells I know under my breath. A bit okay… but still boring. God! Am I just boring myself to death?

Just when I thought that I was finally going to rot away in boredom, the train lurched forward and a whistle blew. Screams of sickening 'I love you' s and 'Be sure to write!' rang through the air. It made my stomach churn with the sweetness of it all, and I was sure that it had nothing to do with the now moving train. The only shouts that I found interesting were the ones that said, 'Get on!'

I watched with disdain as people waved happily at their children on the train. I got up and locked the compartment door. When I sat down, I noticed that we were moving outside of London and pretty soon, green fields and hills stretched out before me. All of the peace in here makes me sick. Oh man, is my father finally punishing me for smart talking a lot? I was just itching to go out there and destroy all those things…

_Knock-Knock-Knock_

I gave an uncharacteristic yelp when the sudden noise rang throughout the compartment. Once I collected myself and cursed under my breath for sounding so weak, I looked for the source of the sound. My eyes widened when I turned around to face the compartment door.

A boy, around fifteen, with platinum blond hair, thin face, pointed chin, and a faint trace of arrogance, was looking at me through the compartment door. He had a faint smile on his lips as he mouthed the words, 'Can I come in?' to me and pointed to the expensive looking trunk at his side.

Saying 'no' was very easy for me. I could easily tell him to get lost and go bother someone else. I don't know why but he somehow ticks me off. Or was it because he was wearing green clothing? But apparently, my father had different plans and he ordered me to let the boy come inside.

I contemplated this for a moment, before sliding the door open and letting the boy come in. Once he was inside, I got a better look at him. His face was somewhat familiar. Maybe I saw him from my father's memories before…?

"Thanks…" the boy muttered gratefully as he stowed away his trunk at the luggage rack above us. He sat down on the seat opposite to me and smiled. Well, more like smirked. This boy was definitely arrogant.

"Don't mention it pretty boy." I told him as I sat back down and pretended to look at the sickening scenery outside. The smirk never left his face, especially when he said,

"Oh… so you think I'm pretty?"

I was resisting the urge to get up and jinx him so hard that it would make him go crazy. I grit my teeth as I answered him. "Better keep it to yourself if you don't want to stay outside on your bum with a heavy trunk slammed on your chest."

His eyes widened. Clearly, he was not used to this kind of treatment. I looked at him and the look on his face clearly said, 'What the hell is wrong with you?'

"What? Got something to say, hotshot?" I said. I could get used to this. At least I found an entertainment for the time being. Making up nicknames was fun too.

"No. Nothing." He said quickly. His steel grey eyes locked into mine for the briefest of moments, before he looked away and pretended to be deep in thought. I pulled myself out of my position near the window and faced him, leaning back on my seat coolly.

"So, what's your name, sir-smirk-a-lot?" I ask, with a smirk of my own.

He smiled brightly at me and said, "Well, if you must know, lady hothead, it's Scorpius Malfoy."

I snorted at his name. "That's a horrible name." I allowed myself a laugh before continuing. "Where'd your parents pull that name out of? An encyclopedia?"

The poor boy went red in the face as I taunted him. Okay, I had to admit, this was the best entertainment ever. He looked ready to burst after a few more rounds of my laughter.

"Oh yeah? What's your name then?" he asked me.

I suddenly stop laughing and freeze for a moment. Crap. I hadn't thought about names. I was still confused with what my real name actually is. My father says it's Athanasia, but there's this nagging feeling in my head (before you ask, it's not my father) that keeps telling me its Marise.

"Uh… ah…"

Scorpius had his smirk on again. "What? Don't tell me it's actually much horrible than mine?"

"Hah! Excuse me! I have a beautiful name, Mr Horrible!" I told him and I crossed my arms across my chest.

"Oh yeah? Then tell me." He challenged.

I gulped as I stared at his steel grey orbs. _Okay, girl, think! Decide fast! Which is it?_ "It's… it's… "

"Yes…?" he said in a sing-song voice, as if to taunt me.

I decided that I should just blurt out whatever pops into my head. And it turned out to be "Marise…" I say.

He stopped taunting me and stared at me as though I suddenly grew a second head. "M-Marise?"

"Yeah… " I said slowly. "Marise… Marise Ridd- no, Marise Sel… wyn… Selwyn. Marise Selwyn!" I stuttered, wracking my brains desperately for a last name to use.

"Selwyn…? You're related to them…?" He asked me, his eyes wide.

"What? I'm…" I said, voice faltering at the last part. Actually, I don't know what I am.

"Oh. So you're from the Muggle World then?" he asked me.

My eyes narrowed dangerously at him and I had to resist the urge to strangle him at that comment. "_How dare you suggest I'm a muggle!"_

He put his arms up in surrender as he caught my tone and looked at me fearfully. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

My rage subsided but I did not stop glaring at him.

"Okay… so… not from there…" he muttered under his breath. He looked at me again and observed me. "So, are you from another country or something? Just moved here?"

I thought about his question for a moment, before answering. "Something like that… yeah…"

Feeling a little bit satisfied, he leaned back on his seat and placed his hands behind his head. There was a comfortable silence between us for a few minutes before he decided to break it.

"So Selwyn, tell me, what year are you going to be in?" he asked. His gaze never left the ceiling.

"Fifth year." I answer him. I'm still fourteen though. But I needn't worry about that. My birthday would be coming up in December and again, I'm not looking forward to it.

"Really?" he asked me. He finally stopped staring at the structure above us to face me.

"Why do you sound so surprised?" I asked. If he says that I look too young to be a fifth year I swear, I'm definitely gonna punch him, no holding back.

"No… it's just that… we're in the same year and… I haven't seen your face around the school before." He explained.

"Oh…" I said. I actually felt disappointed that I don't get to punch him. "Well… that's because I'm new. I'm a transferee. "

"A transferee?"

"Yeah. Don't you know what that means?" I asked him.

"No! No… I mean, yeah, I do… It's just that… well, we rarely get transferees from other schools. Which school did you go to before?"

"It's the Salem Witches Institute in America." I answered immediately. It was the school that I came up with when I worked out my story for when I enter Hogwarts.

"Salem, huh?" he said.

"Yeah…" I replied.

The silence was there again. But this time, both of us were reluctant to break it. Both for different reasons, I'm sure. I know I liked the silence. It's somewhat comforting. I look at Scorpius for a moment and I quickly notice that he's fidgeting. Well, that can only mean one thing. Either he wants to use the bathroom real bad, or he wants to start another conversation.

Well, I'm certainly not gonna give up this sweet silence. No matter how fidgety he gets, I'll just keep to myself. I'll ignore him for now. But I will entertain him if he asks questions, because frankly, I want to get to know him.

I just can't believe myself right now.

I think I just made a friend…


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I nod at Scorpius lazily as he tells me about a trip to Brazil with his father. It's already dark outside and the speakers all over the train announced that we will be arriving at Hogwarts in two hours. Scorpius seemed to think that that time would be best spent on talking about himself.

I had long since lost my energy at teasing him. I wanted to sleep so badly but he kept fidgeting and I just had to keep a conversation go on. I never expected it at first but Scorpius Malfoy was really talkative. I nod again as I heard his voice say something. It sounded like a question so I just nodded. Hey, not my fault that I wasn't interested in his story.

I endured the pain of listening to him for about ten more minutes before he seemed to notice me dozing off as I nod, yet again, at his words. He smiled at me sheepishly and apologized for not making the story interesting. I waved off his apology and yawned.

"Hey, pretty boy, mind if you go change in the bathroom?" I told him.

He was pretty surprised at my question. "Change? I think we still have two hours."

"Yeah, but your story, killed an hour, so better hurry up if you don't want to go to the castle in those clothes." I said. He mumbled an okay and rummaged around his trunk for a set of his uniforms. Once he got everything, he turned to leave. I was about to start changing myself when he came back and said, "Hey! How come you get the-"

He stopped in mid-sentence when he saw the state I was in. I froze too. I was pulling my shirt over my head and had already revealed my stomach. Thankfully, it still covered the upper portion, but it was still so embarrassing.

"I… I… ah… I…" Scorpius stuttered.

I came out of my shock first and the first emotion that came to me was anger. Red Hot Anger. "PERVERT! GET OUT! NOW!" I screamed as I quickly pulled my shirt down. He quickly scrambled out of the way but that did not stop me from chasing after him.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"DIDN'T MEAN TO WHAT?! I WAS CHANGING, YOU IDIOT!" I screamed after him. I spotted a book nearby and I threw it at him. He dodged and quickly turned at a corridor to the left. I let out a breath and stomped back to the compartment.

I changed quickly because I was now afraid of him coming back again. I sighed and sat down on my seat. My anger was gone now and embarrassment quickly replaced it. I tried shaking it off my head and I sighed again. Maybe I should go to a bathroom and wash my face. I'm sure it's very red. I was about to go when my whole body froze.

"_So, met a new friend, have we?"_

My eyes widened. I totally forgot about him.

"_You just met him for a mere eight hours and you're already showing yourself off to him?"_

"It was an accident and you know it!" I snap at my father.

"_Oh? Was it really? You knew pretty well that he was still within the corridor."_

"I wasn't careful alright? I just wanted to change my clothes."

"_Tell that to your new friend… It seems that you've let your senses and your guard down. I expected better of you. Either do your job right or I'll teach you a lesson you won't soon forget, Athanasia."_

He lets his control of my body go and I breathed out a sigh of relief. Usually, when he controls me, it takes him a few weeks to recover his energy. There was at least one thing that came out good from his brief control of me. It made the redness in my face go away.

The compartment door slid open and Scorpius tentatively stepped in. He cast a wary glance at me and I looked at him.

"It's okay… I'm not mad anymore…" I said. Wait-What? Since when did I let go easily? I usually hold a grudge over someone, even over the most trivial things. But when it comes to Scorpius… I'm okay with it? What did he do to me?

"I really am sorry…" he said. "I should've knocked first or… called you first… or… something…"

I smiled a little at him. He can get moody over really small things. It was one of the things I discovered about him. "Dude, it's okay, really."

"No. It's not okay. I ruined everything." He said.

"I told you it's alright." I said firmly. "Stop moping or I'll punch you in the face."

His eyes widened. It was also one thing that I found out about him. The boy LOVED his face.

"Right. Sorry…" he apologized again.

"Hey…" I said and he turned his head towards me. "Tell anyone about this and you're dead Malfoy. Got that?"

He nodded furiously at that and kept to ourselves. I tidied up my seat while he tidied up his. I checked my belongings and once I was sure that I had everything that I would need, I turned to look at Scorpius. He seemed to be done.

"So, Malfoy, what's your house like?" I asked him.

He looked at me for a moment before his familiar smirk made its way to his lips again. "Why? You want to get in there? Aw, I didn't know that you'd miss me that much."

"Hey I'm trying to be serious here?" I told him.

"Right. Erm… uh… I… I can't describe it… Slytherin's ah..." he told me with a dejected look on his face.

"Can't? But how is that even possible? This is your fifth year as a Slytherin." I said.

"Yeah… but… I don't know. I can't really describe it in words." He said, scratching the back of his head.

"Well… if it has people that smirk a lot like you then I'd have to keep a wad of parchment and ink ready cause I've got to write down the nicknames I might invent. Oh the possibilities!"

He chuckled at what I said and sat down. "Hey… Marise?"

"Oh? Since when did we get on first name-terms?" I asked teasingly.

"That would be right now… Hey, you got you're eye out for a particular house?" he asked.

"Nah… nothing really stands out."

He became silent so I sat down. The train started to slow down after a few minutes so I got up and headed for the door. Scorpius followed after me and we waited near the train door. Once it completely stopped, Hundreds of other students immediately came out of their compartments and quickly filled up the corridor where Scorpius and I stood.

Now that I thought about it, he was nowhere to be seen. Drat. I lost him! I blame the crowd.

The door opened and I immediately went out, being the first one in the line. Once I did, however, I was immediately attacked by the cold. I ignored it for the moment and I craned my neck to look for Scorpius. He was nowhere in sight. I had to give up searching for him when I heard someone call my name.

I turned towards the direction of the voice and I saw a tall woman stand there with her squate-rimmed glasses. She seemed to have spotted me looking at her and she beckoned me to come closer. I nodded at her and pushed past the students. When I reached her, I was so out of breath.

"Ms. Marise Selwyn?" she asked me.

I nod at her and she pulled out an old leather strap from a shoe, I suppose, and told me that we were using the portkey to travel to the Headmaster's… or Headmistress now, I suppose… office so I could get sorted earlier than the first years.

I sighed in relief at this. I didn't fancy having a lot of people staring at me. I grabbed hold of the portkey and I felt a tug around my navel and a sensation of being grabbed by an enormous hook filled me. A few seconds later, I was sprawled on the floor of a bizzare looking office. I quickly stood up and looked around for the woman.

"Over here, Ms. Selwyn." She called. She was standing next to a stool where an old wizard's hat sat. It was so dirty and patched and old.

"Uh…"

"Don't fret, dear. I'll just place the hat over your head and you'll be sorted." She said.

I nodded at her and sat down on the stool after she removed the hat from it. She proceeded to place it on my head.

I let my mind go blank. All thoughts of my father ever being there were moved far away. Just in time too, because at the next moment, the Hat spoke.

"Hm… it seems your mind is made up already, dearie."

_Huh?_

It chuckled at my confusion. "Don't worry. I know you hate the color but it's a great house."

_Wait-… what are you-_

"SLYTHERIN!"

I felt the Hat being removed from my head and the woman looked at me with a disappointed look on her face. She placed the hat back on the stool and the two objects vanished after a flick of her wand.

"This way please Ms. Selwyn." She told me. I followed her out of the strange office and down several flights of moving staircases. We made it to the bottom and we turned right to a large Entrance Hall. I saw an equally large door on to the right. She opened it and it creaked so loudly. The noise from the other side of the room that I heard earlier, stopped and I was pushed inside by the woman. She just nodded at me and told me that the Slytherins were far on the left side of the room. I didn't say anything to her and I just let my legs take me to the table.

I was aware of the stares and the sudden outbreak of murmurs that I got after I started moving. I kept my head down and continued going over to the Slytherins. I looked for the familiar platinum blonde hair and I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that he wasn't quite far from where I currently was.

I quickened my pace and I found a spot across him. I squeezed my way into it and didn't look up from my seat until after a few more minutes. When I thought that they no longer had their attention on me, I looked up and was met with the annoying smirk of Scorpius Malfoy.

"Missed me, did you?" he said.

I glared at him and made a fist. "Hey, not my fault I was deemed as a Slytherin to the dumb hat!"

He laughed. "Still, it's good to have you here in Slytherin."

"What? With you around all the time? How's that gonna be good?" I asked him.

He just stuck his tongue out at me and I laughed. I calmed down a bit, though the people near me still kept staring. I wasn't looking at them though. But their stares still made me shiver. At least the people from the other houses had stopped staring, save for a few.

It seemed like I was the newest topic to their conversations.

"Hey…"

I looked up when I heard Scorpius' voice through the noise.

"Don't worry about them. They'll warm up to you."

I gave him a look that says I wasn't convinced.

"Hey, come on! They will! But if they don't and they'll start teasing you instead… and… well, remind me to stay clear. I do NOT want to be a part of your rampage."

I laughed and I finally calmed down. Scorpius seemed to have noticed because he was a little bit relaxed now too. I suspect that he was afraid of getting a punch in the face if he said something wrong. Once the stares subsided, I begin to relax too.

"Hey, have I introduced you to my friend?" he suddenly asked.

I was currently staring at the tableware in front of me when he said that so I had to look up. He had his arm around a boy with messy, raven-black hair and emerald eyes.

"Marise, I'd like you to meet Albus Potter!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Marise, I'd like you to meet Albus Potter!"

I choked on my saliva after Scorpius said his name. _Potter?_ He's _his_ son?

"Is… is everything okay…?" he asked when he saw me sputtering and placing my hand on my throat. I held up my other hand to him to tell him that I'm alright. He seemed confused at my behavior.

After I collected myself, I took a deep breath and looked at the boys in front of me. Scorpius was looking at me with raised eyebrows while Potter was looking very worried.

"What? I'm fine okay?" I say to them.

"Mhm…" Scorpius said, clearly not convinced.

"Erm… maybe it wasn't a good idea to introduce me, Scorpius." Potter said. He was eyeing me warily.

"No. It's fine. I was just… a bit shocked." I told them.

Scorpius laughed. "Of course! Who wouldn't be shocked? A Potter in Slytherin! You should've been here at his Sorting!"

Potter turned beet red. I laughed along with Scorpius as he turned even redder.

"Hey… it's not funny…" Potter said quietly. Scorpius and I laugh even harder. Potter averted his gaze towards us and he stared at his lap instead. The boy was shy, that much I know. Soon, almost every head of the students who were near us turned to look at our small group. If I wasn't me, I would've stopped laughing and look embarrassed, but… I'm me, so… I don't care.

"Good evening everyone!" said a feminine voice from the Head Table.

That got us to stop laughing almost immediately. _Almost._

Trying to fight off small bouts of giggles, Scorpius and I force ourselves to look at the speaker with straight faces. It turns out that it wasn't actually quite hard. I have schooled my features to look neutral many times before and it was almost natural for me. Scorpius, however, looked very solemn. I was about to comment on how well he pulled off his mask of indifference when his face suddenly contorted into a cross between a smile and a serious one. A strangled sort of laugh issued from his lips.

That brought a small giggle from mine and before I knew it, I was trying hard to supress my laugh. I clamp my hand over my mouth, so as to stifle the giggles coming from it whenever I look at Scorpius' face. It was funny how his features would change from serious to laughter. His jaw and cheeks were wriggling so hard from trying to stop a smile from forming and small, strangled noises of laughter would be heard from him every once in a while. His whole face was actually turning red… or pink, considering how pale he is.

"… hope that everyone will enjoy their stay here. Let us start the Sorting Ceremony." said the feminine voice from before. Now that I pulled myself together, I realized that the speaker was the woman who had sorted me.

She still looked stiff and strict, just like the tight-looking bun that she fashioned her hair in. Her square-rimmed glasses looked over the entire Hall, and it almost made her look old, which she was. Her hair, although it wasn't quite visible from under her witch's hat, was white.

"Who's that?" I whisper to Scorpius.

It wasn't Scorpius who answered, however, but Potter. "That's Professor McGonagall. She's our Headmistress."

"Oh… thanks for the info Potter." I said to him.

"Erm… Albus please. Or Al, if you'd like." Potter says, looking at me with a small smile on his face.

"Alright… Al. And just call me Marise too." I replied.

"I will."

Our conversation ended shortly after that. I didn't mind, really. The first years stepped inside just after we looked away from each other. The only thing worth watching in the Sorting were the terrified expressions on each child's face. I miss causing chaos and invoking fear. I longed for the terrified screams of my victims. The pitiful cries of help and those begging me for mercy. Those eyes shining with unshed tears that I would look into before finally finishing them off… Oh, how I missed those days!

Stupid father. Making me go into Hogwarts against my will…

Luckily, the sorting was finished before I started tearing my hair out. McGonagall delivered another message, mostly directed to the first years, and by extension, me, before announcing that dinner was served.

I gawped at the sight of so many plates of food that I know and don't know. A bit wary of the unfamiliar ones, I settle for a slice of meat pie and some chicken. I saw a vegetarian meal up ahead but I was busy with the meat in front of me. Don't get me wrong, I like vegetables, but really, when there's a big pile of meat in front of you, you just discard the thought of veggies.

"Whoa. Looks like someone's worked up quite an appetite." Scorpius said, again with the smirk.

"Shut it, Blonde Dracula. And why is this," I gesture to the half-eaten slice of meat pie and two pieces of chicken on my plate. "_quite an appetite_?"

"Well, for a teenage girl, eating vegetables for her entire teens and twenties is important. I'm surprised you aren't one of them." Scorpius answered me.

I shrug at him. "I'm surprised at how stupid the person who started that idea is."

Albus snorted from his plate. Come to think of it, he had been quiet ever since the Sorting. Maybe I should start a conversation? After all, I have to get close to him so that I can get to his father. It totally gives a new meaning to keep your friends close, and your enemies closer'. I would give both him and Scorpius the impression that I'm their friend, and then before I know it, I'll get to Harry Potter and kill him. And then my father would be restored to full power and we'll get rid of the half-bloods and mudbloods in our world.

"Hey, Al. Erm… Seeing as Count Dracula is being snarky, can you give me a little more details about Slytherin?" I start off, hoping that he won't turn me down and ask another student to tell me.

Luckily, he answered me. "Well, it's been regarded as the house where evil wizards come from. But that's just because Voldemort had been sorted in this house, as well as his followers-"

"Wait. You aren't afraid of saying his name?" I ask him.

"Why would I be? He's gone, you know? It's only the old generation who fears his name. Besides, fear of the name only increases fear of the thing itself. Or… that's what my dad tells me." Albus says.

I wanted to gag at his words. He copied Dumbledore's saying from his father. But for my mission's sake, I force myself to smile. It looked real to anyone who sees it. I'm just that good.

"Your dad? Isn't he the famous Harry Potter?" I ask, pretending to admire his father. Okay, _I am just disgusting myself_.

"Yeah… he is." He tells me. He didn't sound too fond of mentioning his father though. He wasn't like the others (Scorpius, for example) who bragged about his parents right away. "I mean, just because he did a lot of great things when he was younger, everyone expects me to follow in his footsteps and do even greater things. They want me to do things, force me even. If he wants something done, I have to do it. Not for myself, but for him…" Al stops his story for a while and he seems to notice that he's getting carried away. "Sorry… I'm not sure you'd feel like that… you wouldn't understand."

My eyes widened at the words he said. They really did a number on me. We were exactly the same. We were both forced by our parents to do more than what we're capable of.

"I do…" I found myself saying before I could stop the words that came out of my mouth.

"Excuse me?" Albus asks looking up from his plate and our eyes met.

I stare into his emerald irises and say, "I know what that feels like."

That startled him. "Y-You… you do?"

"Yes! Let's just say that I've also got daddy issues…" _not to mention your daddy and mine are mortal enemies. Great. Now I feel like that girl from that story that a muggle wrote. Romeo and Juliet, was it?_

Albus chuckles. "It's looks like we've found something in common." And he flashed me a smile. The very first smile that he's ever given me.

I smile back. "Yeah… we have…"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

After dinner, the boys who stood next to me, Al and Scorpius, herded me out of the Great Hall. I was overwhelmed with the sheer size of the student population that I stuck with them. I didn't have any choice but to do so because everyone kept staring at me just because I'm the new student that was more interesting than the usual first-years. I was glad the the house that I was put in had at least some show of formality and are civilized. Unlike Gryffindor and Hufflepuff who competed against each other out of the great oak doors. They were very noisy and they pushed each other off as they went out. Some even went as far as shouting profanities at the other house.

After every last Gryffindor and Hufflepuff went out, the Ravenclaw students went next. They were more formal, going out in a single file and quietly chatting amongst each other. As soon as the Ravenclaws cleared out, two sixth-year students, who Al identified as prefects, lead the first-years out and us older students followed them after a few minutes.

Getting to our house common room was fairly quick. We had to go to the west side of the castle but it was easy from there. We went down the dungeons and walked directly ahead until we stopped in front of a wall. Scorpius cleared his throat and said, "_Salaslyth_"

"How in the world did you know the password?" Al asked him.

"I have my sources... also, I took a peek at a certain letter." Scorpius said, not facing us.

"You... WHAT?!"

The wall slowly slid open to reveal a hidden door. Scorpius turned to me with his ever present smirk. "After you, my lady."

I stuck my tongue out at him and opened the door and went inside. Albus shrugged and followed suit, leaving Scorpius alone outside.

Once inside, however, I stopped all movement and couldn't help but gape at the room before me. The first thing that registered inside my head: Green. Lots and lots of green. Oh god, I feel so nauseated. I shook my head to try and clear it. Scorpius and Al seemed to notice my little dilemma. I put my hand up to stop them from coming closer and helping me. I don't really do that. I've never accepted any kind of help from anyone before. Not that there was actually someone to help me.

The nausea was slowly deteriorating and I stood a little straighter. I faced the boys and said, "Shall we go?"

Scorpius and Al looked at each other uncertainly. I saw their confused looks and I mentally cursed myself for showing them a weak part of myself.

"Guys... guys, it's nothing. It's nothing." I told them.

They still looked uncertain as they led me towards a small corridor lined with a lot of doors. A plaque on the entrance read, "Fifth Years". So this is where our rooms were located. Al and Scorpius had to drag me to the farthest side of the corridor where, I guess, my room was. The doors were placed evenly on the walls, along with more doors across them. Each door had a plaque which contained the student's name and room number. _'Wow... they're really organised, aren't they?_' I think to myself as we stopped at a door that was second to the last one. It was on the left side of the corridor and the door also had a plaque. It read:

_Marise A. Selwyn_

_Rm. 514_

"Well... this is it." Scorpius said, breaking the silence around us. "Your home sweet home."

I nod at him and turned to Al. He gave me a smile and handed me a small bronze key. "Here. The Head Boy and Girl have duplicates of every key here so just tell them if you happen to lose this one."

I muttered my thanks to him and accepted the key. I fit it in the lock and opened the door. I didn't know what I expected when I laid eyes on the contents of my room. To put it simply...

My room was... bare.

Bare. It was bare. And not quite how I expected it to be. Since our common room was in the dungeon, I expected the walls to be made out of rough stones. The stones that lined the walls, however, were smooth and greyish. And it was surprisingly warm in here. A single bed was placed on the right corner of the room. Beside it was a desk, which I think, is for studying or just placing stuff on. A small wardrobe was placed against the wall opposite to the desk and a small cupboard was placed up on the walls whose contents, I don't know. There was also another door on the left side of the room, where, I think, the bathroom is.

"So... this is it?" I ask them as I looked around some more. If there was one thing I appreciate in this room, it's its lack of the color green.

"Yup." Scorpius answered my question as he stepped inside. "I know. Small, right? Aww. I missed this! This was _exactly_ how my room looked like when I first stepped in! I personalized it over the years. You know, to give it a more... Scorpius look." He said .

I twisted my body around to face the boys at the doorway. "Wait... you can actually... _customize_ this place?" I ask in disbelief.

Al and Scorpius looked at each other.

"Well... it's not like you have a roommate or something that can ruin your interior design skills... so yeah." Al answered.

"I... I don't _have_ a roommate?" I asked them with wide eyes.

"Erm... seriously, Marise? You don't know?" Scorpius said.

I shake my head and turned my attention back to my room. So I'm all alone again. Just me and no one else. Plus I got a room where I can show off my personality. But first things first. Unpack, then sleep.

* * *

"Morning Marise!" I heard someone say as I close the door to my room. I turn to face the speaker and it turned out to be none other than the most annoying guy ever, Scorpius Malfoy.

"Why are you sooo... chipper this early in the morning?" I ask in a drab tone of voice.

Scorpius frowned at my seemingly emotionless and uninterested face. He put a finger on either corners of my mouth and lifted them up to make me smile. "There. That's better, isn't it?" he says.

I swat his hands away from my face and glared at him. "_Never_ touch my face!" I say in a deadly tone. He gulped audibly and put his hands up in surrender.

"I'm just saying... sheesh. You're as bad as I am when it comes to faces." He says as he placed his hands at his sides and stared down at me.

"Well, it just invades my personal bubble and I hate that. How would you like it if somebody just randomly touches your face?" I ask him. _Damn, he was so tall! What do they feed guys to become so tall?_

"What? There's absolutely nothing wrong with touching other people's faces. In fact, the girls love it when I-"

"-those were other girls. And I'm waaaayy different from them. For example, I'm smart enough to know which ones are attractive to the eyes and those..." she cuts off as she eyed Scorpius. "...who don't quite fit the bill." And with that, she turned on her heel and walked away from Scorpius who was gaping at her, seemingly horrorstruck.

I ignored him as I press on further, that is, until I bumped into something solid. I look up and saw that it wasn't just a _something._ It was a _someone_ and he was Albus Potter. _'Damn. That guy's tall too...'_ I push myself back from him and mumbled an apology. Al seemed a bit surprised but he shrugged it off.

"Perfect timing, Marise. I was just about to show you where to get your schedule." He says to me.

"What schedule?" I say as I rub my nose. I bumped into him pretty hard.

"The... schedule? For classes?" he tells me, hoping to get me to realize what he was talking about. My eyes widened and I felt like such an idiot after he said that. _'Of course! What other schedules are there?'_

"Ah... right. The... schedule." I say as I straightened myself up.

"Right..." Al said, weirded out by my behavior. "This way."

He led me to the common room towards a huge bulletin board that was monitored by an... owl? I raise an eyebrow at Al at this and he just laughed.

"Right. This must be pretty weird for you. Let me show you." He says as he faced the owl. "Marise Selwyn, class schedule." He whispered to it. In an instant, the owl swooped up the bulletin board and came down a few moments later with a card in it's beak. Al accepted the card and placed five knuts on a pouch in front of the owl.

"Thanks." He said to it and he went back to me. "Here. Your schedule."

I silently took it from him and peeked at the owl from behind him. I was still amazed at it. It was so well trained. Al noticed the direction in which I'm staring at. He chuckled lightly when he saw my expression but that was enough to jolt me back to my senses. I smack his arm and turn away from him. I was angry with myself for letting him catch me like that. Al was confused, I could tell. He walked forward and turned around to face me.

"Let's go, Marise. Look's like we have the same schedule." He says. "See?" he holds out his schedule for me to see.

_**Monday**_

_Charms 8:30 – 10:00_

_History of Magic 10:30 – 12:00_

_Transfiguration – 1:30 – 3:00_

_Herbology – 3:30 – 5:00_

_**Tuesday**_

_History of Magic 8:30 – 10:00_

_Flying 10:00 – 12:00_

_Defense Against the Dark Arts 1:30 – 3:00_

_Arithmancy 3:30 – 5:00_

_**Wednesday**_

_Transfiguration 8:30 – 9:30_

_Free Period 9:30 – 10:00_

_Care of Magical Creatures 10:30 – 12:00_

_Charms – 1:30 – 3:00_

_Potions 3:30 – 5:00_

_**Thursday**_

_Herbology 9:00 – 10:30_

_Defense Against the Dark Arts 11:00 – 12:00_

_Arithmancy 1:30 – 2:30_

_Astronomy 3:00 – 5:00_

_**Friday**_

_Transfiguration 8:30 – 10:00_

_Charms 10:30 – 12:00_

_Potions 1:00 – 3:00_

_Free Period 3:00 – 5:00_

_**Saturday**_

_History of Magic 8:30 – 9:30_

_Defense Arithmancy 9:30 – 10:30_

_Care of Magical Creatures 10:30 – 12:00_

_-Free for the whole Afternoon-_

"Wow... so many... classes..." I say as I scanned the card again. I only had a few hours of free time. _Aw man!_

"I know. We aren't given much of a free time. We're entering our O.W.L.S. year and the teachers are going to teach us like crazy. I have a feeling we're gonna get a lot of homework on our first day." Al said. He tucked his schedule away and turned to face me. "It's still a quarter past seven. Up for some breakfast?" he said.

I quickly agree and tucked my schedule into a small pocket on my bag. When I looked up, I saw Al pinning something on his chest. Curious as to what it was, I ask, "Al, what's that?"

"Hm?" Al said, not looking up from his current task. Once he was done pinning the object to his chest he looked at me. "What's what?"

"That. That thing you just pinned on your chest." I say, pointing at the gleaming object.

Al followed the direction to which I'm pointing at and saw the badge. "Oh..." he said when he finally saw what I meant. "This... well, _this_ is a Prefect badge. I was made prefect this year."

"Oh... remind me to stay clear of you, then. I'm quite the troublemaker." I say to him.

"Well, I could always use a someone to hand over to the teachers for some extra points." He said thoughtfully.

I scowled at him and smacked his arm, like I did to Scorpius.

"Ow!" he yelled as he withdrew his arm away from me. "You're one dangerous gal!"

I grinned smugly at him. "Yup."

He sighed and stood up straighter. "Fair warning, though. Never hit a prefect. You _just_ might get into trouble." He told me and beckoned me to follow him. "Come on. I'm starving."

"Yeah, me too." I said as I followed him out of the common room. We were just about to get out of the sliding wall, which was the entrance to our dormitories or common room, when we stopped in our tracks due to a voice calling out to us.

"GUYS! HEY GUYS, WAIT!" yelled a familiar voice behind us.

Both Al and I flinch at the sound. It could only mean one thing.

The dreaded Scorpius Malfoy was coming.

I could feel myself starting to sweat and I turn to look at Al, who had the same reaction as me. I slowly started to whisper, "S-Should we go and ditch him?"

It brought Al out from his shock and said, "Yeah. I like that plan. Let's go with that-"

"HI GUYS!"

Both Al and I jumped up in surprise at the blonde's sudden arrival. I place a hand over my heart to calm it down before exhaling and turning around to face the idiot who caused me to get surprised like that. I did the only thing I know that would most definitely irritate him. I slapped him.

"_That's_ for scaring me, you jerk!" I yell in my loudest, angriest, pissed off voice. I was itching to cast the Cruciatus Curse on him! Just one simple movement and my hand would be on my wand and he'd be dead. Maybe i'd go for _literally_ if he pisses me off again. Salazar, this guy's annoying!

"Ooww!" Scorpius exlaimed as he rubbed his stinging cheek tenderly. It actually turned red with the force of the blow I gave him. "I was gonna go with you guys for breakfast."

I whacked him across his head. I felt hot glares on my back after I did that. Maybe it was one of the idiot's fan girls. I didn't care. This airhead needed to be punished. "If you were just gonna accompany us to breakfast then why didn't you say that in the first place, HUH?!" I screamed angrily as I raised my fist angrily at him.

Scorpius' eyes widened and he backed away. "Sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Please-don't hit me!"

"Better" I say and tucked my hands to my side after adjusting my back on my shoulders. I start to walk and I noticed Al's horrified expression and he actually paled. His mouth was agape and the bag he was carrying fell limply to the floor.

I was starting to get annoyed at my male companions again. "Are you two going to get some breakfast or are you just going to gape like that all day?"

"R-Remind me to never g-get on your b-bad side..." Al stuttered.

I gave them a satisfied smirk, laughing at their horrified expressions mentally, and slowly started to walk off.


End file.
